AFLW: Sydney assistant coach Lachie Huner praises new draftee and East Fremantle product Zippy Fish

Sydney assistant coach Lachie Hunter says star WA draftee Zippy Fish’s on-field maturity and comfort so early in her career lends itself to long-term versatility. Long-touted as one of the most-exciting AFLW prospects to emerge from the WAFLW, Fish has made an instant impact at Sydney after the Swans snapped her up with the no.5 pick in last year’s draft. Fish has quickly found a home in defence in pre-season and playing off the half-back flank has allowed her to show off her deadly mix of distribution and speed. Hunter, who has joined Sydney’s coaching staff as a defensive coach, said the East Fremantle product had made an instant impact down back ahead of the Swans’ opening match against Gold Coast on Friday. But the 2016 AFL Premiership-winner was equally impressed with her poise and ability to seamlessly integrate into the high performance environment. “She looks totally comfortable in a field of footballers of people who’ve done it for a lot longer than her, really comfortable with the ball in her hands and an exciting offensive weapon,” Hunter told The West Australian. “Even though she’s playing down back, she’s able to do some some things that not many kids are at that age. “People often don’t have that when they’re 18 years old — ball in hand, like, it can often look a bit jittery and you’ve still got to get used to the speed of everything but it really hasn’t been the case. “She’s probably one of our best, ball-in-hand, already at 18, which is obviously something that’s highly regarded for years to come; if you’re doing that at 18, who knows where it can end up but she looks right at home. “It seems odd to me that it seems to be this comfortable for her at 18 years-old.” Hunter said long-term, Fish had the ability to play across all three lines but said she would likely spend a significant amount of time in defence to help round out her game. “It looks like she’s played back for a long time, to be honest. Those elite ball users, as much as they’re down there to defend, the offensive side of the game is almost just as important,” he said. “Hopefully it gives her a bit of a different look at the game, and rounds out her view as a footballer, so it can be beneficial to playing every line and get a feel for how it works, how each line differs slightly. “I’m sure she’ll play in every line as she goes on throughout her career in many years to come but she strikes me as a as a really good midfielder. “What’s her best position? I’m not 100 per cent sure, but growing her defensive side of the game is probably the one area that being a defender probably allows right now.” Regardless of her future possibilities, Hunter said Fish’s ready-made athleticism would help her have an instant impact when she makes her debut. “From an athletic point of view, she excels in a lot of testing: great speed-endurance profile, massive leap. “She is very light compared to a lot of the girls — but to be honest, a lot of the times they can’t catch her. “She seems to lean into her strengths really well. She covers the ground beautifully, so when you pair that with someone who can use the ball really well, it’s a dangerous prospect.”

AFLW: Sydney assistant coach Lachie Huner praises new draftee and East Fremantle product Zippy Fish

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